Murim Login - Chapter 317

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 317
“Ah.”
Sunlight scattered across her long, fluttering eyelashes. Even after waking, Ju Hwa-ran remained lying in bed, her gaze fixed on the ceiling for a long while.
Last night, she and the Yongbong Escort Agency had finally reached Xi’an.
The Heukseok Clan, led by the Cheonryeok Bandits, had been the final obstacle of this escort mission.
They had passed through the safe, bustling streets and laid down their baggage at a secluded inn in Xi’an. The inn offered beds, warm meals, and hot water for everyone.
Ju Hwa-ran had inspected every single item of cargo before collapsing into sleep.
‘At last, I can see the end.’
This place was safe. There were no bandits blocking the mountain roads, no rogues lurking in groups to ambush them. All that remained was to deliver the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng—the primary objective of this escort mission—to the Zhongnan Sect, and it would be over.
The Yongbong Escort Agency would receive compensation befitting their efforts, and everyone would return home together.
Along with thirty-three bone caskets.
‘Thirty-three….’
Ju Hwa-ran’s pupils flickered dimly for a moment.
Thirty-three bone caskets, the faces of thirty-three people, memories of laughing and crying with them—all flashed before her eyes.
“No, I can’t let this happen….”
Ju Hwa-ran wiped her eyes with her sleeve, then struck both her cheeks firmly. The sharp sound brought her scattered mind back into focus.
“This is just the beginning. I need to keep my wits about me.”
The escort mission was not yet complete.
Four days remained until the deadline agreed upon with the Zhongnan Sect, and the mission would only end once the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was safely delivered within that timeframe.
“And… this will be a new beginning.”
Ju Hwa-ran murmured softly to herself and felt inside her garment. She withdrew the tightly sealed wooden casket, verified it, and secured it again with cord.
Even that simple act released a cool, refreshing fragrance that lingered at the tip of her nose before fading away.
The Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng—an eternal elixir coveted by every cultivator in the Murim—lay within that wooden casket.
“Don’t lose focus, Ju Hwa-ran. This is only one step.”
It was at that moment she was steeling herself with this resolve.
“Hwa-ran, are you awake?”
A familiar voice came from beyond the door. Ju Hwa-ran adjusted her appearance and answered.
“Yes, Uncle Heo. You may come in.”
“Then I’ll intrude for a moment.”
Shortly after, the head escort Heo Jun entered through the door, his face bright as he spoke.
“We’ve been able to return to the escort agency ahead of schedule.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“The Zhongnan Sect is waiting for us in Xi’an.”
“The Zhongnan Sect?”
“Yes. I heard the Tae-eul Mujeong Sword himself came directly. Haha.”
Unlike Heo Jun, whose laughter was warm, Ju Hwa-ran’s eyes grew deeply shadowed.
‘The Zhongnan Sect, and the Tae-eul Mujeong Sword coming all the way to Xi’an in person?’
With the return accelerated, she should have been pleased like Heo Jun.
Yet the more she recalled the arrogant and discourteous attitude the Zhongnan Sect had displayed thus far, the more unease crept up from the depths of her heart.
“Uncle Heo, doesn’t something feel wrong about this?”
“Hmm? Strange, you say? What do you mean?”
“There are still four days left until the scheduled deadline.”
“Four days is hardly much time. Even traveling leisurely from Xi’an to Jongnam Mountain takes two days.”
“Uncle used to say that often. There are no coincidences in the Murim. It’s a place where anything can happen without surprise.”
“Ju Hwa-ran, what are you trying to say?”
Ju Hwa-ran opened her mouth heavily, seeing the confusion in Heo Jun’s eyes.
“Until now, the Zhongnan Sect has been subtly hostile toward our Yongbong Escort Agency. They would want nothing more than for this escort mission to fail. That’s why they deliberately set such difficult conditions.”
“But you accepted them. And you’ve done brilliantly.”
The conditions demanded by the Zhongnan Sect were indeed demanding. So much so that even other escort agency heads who were drawn by the Zhongnan Sect’s reputation shook their heads and abandoned the commission.
If they failed to transport the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng within the deadline the sect demanded, the mission would be considered a failure, and they would have to pay an astronomical sum as a penalty.
Yet Ju Hwa-ran, after much deliberation, had accepted the Zhongnan Sect’s commission.
The reason was singular—for the rise of the Yongbong Escort Agency.
‘And we’ve had to pay a terrible price for it.’
Something that should never have happened had occurred.
Information about the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng had been leaked.
Ju Hwa-ran was no fool. Though still lacking in experience, she possessed a sharp mind capable of considering all possibilities.
The suspicions she had harbored silently in her heart were slowly taking tangible form. Ju Hwa-ran spoke quietly.
“Perhaps… perhaps the Zhongnan Sect…”
“Enough.”
Heo Jun’s face had turned rigid as he cut off Ju Hwa-ran’s words.
“Stop right there. I understand what you’re thinking, but anything beyond that is absurd. No—it’s dangerous.”
“But…”
“I’m well aware of the rumors surrounding the Zhongnan Sect. It’s true they’re keeping us in check to strengthen their own escort agency. But what you’re about to suggest… that’s a dangerous conjecture.”
“Uncle Heo…”
“As your uncle, and as the Chief Escort of the Yongbong Escort Agency, I ask you. Don’t put yourself or the agency in danger.”
Though they shared no blood relation, he had always treated her warmly since her childhood—a beloved uncle figure.
When he spoke with such determination, his face hardened with resolve, Ju Hwa-ran could no longer continue her words about the Zhongnan Sect.
“Sigh…”
Heo Jun gently wrapped his arms around Ju Hwa-ran’s shoulders as she exhaled softly.
“Forgive me if my words were harsh.”
“No, I think I was just being oversensitive.”
“That’s understandable. The Zhongnan Sect did something unprecedented. To send the Tae-eul Mujeong Sword—not even the sect leader or the chief administrator.”
One of the two senior martial brothers of the Zhongnan Sect’s patriarch.
The reason people remembered the Tae-eul Mujeong Sword, who always remained at the main headquarters and never ventured out, was simple.
‘The First Sword of Zhongnan.’
A supreme master produced by the Zhongnan Sect. The Tae-eul Mujeong Sword was the terrifying swordmaster rumored to have achieved the pinnacle of the Thirty-Six Swords of Heaven.
That such a figure, comparable to the sect leader Feng Yun Sword Lord himself, had personally intervened surely carried great significance.
This was what puzzled Ju Hwa-ran most.
“Why the Tae-eul Mujeong Sword specifically?”
“Desperation, I imagine. The Zhongnan Sect obtained the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng at great cost because of the Angry Sword Immortal’s internal injuries. With his only senior brother in such a state, how could his heart not be in turmoil?”
On the surface, it was a reasonable argument.
However, Ju Hwa-ran clearly remembered what her father, Ju Ho-gun, had told her years ago.
‘He said he was a frightening person.’
Her father was so benevolent he was called the Gentleman Swordsman. If Ju Ho-gun, a man with a generous eye for people, spoke of him that way, then the Tae-eul Mujeong Sword was surely as sharp in character as he was with his blade.
‘I mustn’t let my guard down until the very end.’
After organizing her thoughts, Ju Hwa-ran asked Heo Jun a question.
It was directed at the one person who still weighed on her mind.
“What about Song Pyo-du?”
“Ah, well, about that…”
Heo Jun hesitated for a moment before answering.
“I had trustworthy escorts watching him secretly day and night, but as you know, Hwa-ran, everyone’s guard dropped last night…”
“You lost sight of him.”
“I have no excuse. It’s my fault for not paying closer attention.”
At the sight of Heo Jun awkwardly averting his gaze, Ju Hwa-ran let out a small sigh.
“Sigh…”
Song Il-seom, whose origins were unclear and whose reputation was poor, had been a priority surveillance target.
Especially since meeting Jin Tae-kyung, suspicions about him had only deepened.
‘I gave such explicit instructions to watch him carefully.’
Heo Jun was certainly a good man. Having devoted thirty-some years to the Yongbong Escort Agency, he was close enough to Ju Ho-gun to be like brothers.
But the careless tendencies he often displayed, like now, had led to mistakes both large and small.
‘I can only hope this time will be different.’
Spilled water cannot be gathered again. Besides, the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was already in her possession.
Ju Hwa-ran concealed her disappointment and opened her mouth.
“Where did the Zhongnan Sect say they would meet?”
“At a tea house called Deng Wang Tower at the western end of Xi’an—they said to meet by noon.”
Deng Wang Tower was a famous tea house that Ju Hwa-ran had occasionally visited herself.
With many eyes watching and a quiet atmosphere, it was the perfect place to conclude an escort mission.
“We’ll depart in a quarter hour, so please prepare.”
* * *
Baek Moo-sung arrived at Xi’an Tower just as I was in the midst of packing.
“Are you really leaving right away?”
“I’d like to stay a few more days myself, but as you know, my schedule is rather tight.”
“What a shame. If possible, I would have liked to bring you to the Main Sect Headquarters.”
“I’ll stop by on the way back. Show me Huashan then.”
“Haha, don’t worry. I’ll personally ensure you see it properly.”
There it was again. The full-course remark.
Truth be told, I’m not even expecting the full course. I just hope that when we meet next time, I’m not in the middle of a brutal fight with someone like I am now.
Then, suddenly, I found myself staring intently at Baek Moo-sung’s hearty laughing face and thought:
‘Should I bring it up? About the Yongbong Escort Agency and the Zhongnan Sect.’
As I was deliberating for a moment, Baek Moo-sung touched his face and asked.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
“….”
“Jin So-hyup?”
“Oh, no. I was just thinking about something else for a moment.”
Damn it, I had no idea.
In the end, whether it was the Zhongnan Sect or the Yongbong Escort Agency, they were both complete strangers to me. Whatever disputes existed between them were their problem to resolve.
My own nose was three feet long right now—worrying about their problems was just meddling where I didn’t belong.
‘This is the Murim, after all.’
I muttered this to myself as I placed Jeok Cheon-gang on the carrying frame. Then I began stacking furs on top of him one by one.
I couldn’t understand why Ju Hwa-ran kept coming to mind.
Along with that fellow Song Il-seom, whom I’d only glimpsed in passing.
‘Now that I think about it, there was something suspicious about him. He reeked even worse than Gung Ki-bang.’
Learning about the relationship between the Yongbong Escort Agency and the Zhongnan Sect made me curious about that man’s true identity.
His level was a staggering 110. At that level, he could strip the Ten Dragons and Phoenixes down to the bone.
From his appearance, he looked to be in his early to mid-thirties at most… but which sect did he belong to, and who was he?
‘Could he be an assassin sent by the Zhongnan Sect? No, that seems too extreme.’
Was he simply a man who’d fallen for Ju Hwa-ran’s beauty and decided to stay?
But if that were the case, there’d be no reason to hide his strength. A protagonist concealing his power—was that supposed to look cooler when some weakling in disguise came to the rescue?
‘Ju Hwa-ran. I haven’t exchanged many words with her, but she seemed kind. Her manner of speaking was refreshing too.’
At her age, she’d already mastered martial arts to the peak, showing exceptional talent.
And also, also… yes. Her dimples when she smiled were beautiful. The way her eyes curved like crescent moons was lovely too.
Now that I thought about it, she resembled a cat. I’d always preferred cats among all animals.
“Uh, Team Leader?”
“Huh? Yeah?”
When I turned my head, Hyuk Moo-jin was staring at me with an odd expression.
Not just him, but Gung Ki-bang, Chung Poong, and even Baek Moo-sung as well.
“What? Why is everyone looking at me like that?”
“Well, you see…”
Hyuk Moo-jin carefully pointed at the carrying frame with his hand.
“In my humble opinion, if you keep doing that, the Red Sky River Master might suffocate.”
“Gasp!”
I hastily threw off the mountain of furs that had accumulated.
Jeok Cheon-gang, who’d nearly gone to meet That Person in an unconscious state, was breathing in shallow gasps.
“Oh, my savior! You’re just like me!”
“Did you just insult me?”
“Ah. No, no. That’s not what I meant….”
Ignoring Chung Poong, who’d suddenly become dejected, I stacked the furs again. The diminutive frame of Jeok Cheon-gang was quickly concealed.
Only after confirming that the wind could pass through sufficiently did I hoist the carrying frame onto my back.
“Well then, if everyone’s ready, let’s get moving.”
We stepped outside, receiving the generous hospitality of the Xi’an Tower.
The bustling streets of Xi’an, crowded with people. Amid the cacophony, Baek Moo-sung opened his mouth.
“I’d like to see you off, but you won’t allow it, will you?”
“We’ll see each other again anyway. What’s the point?”
“Ha. I thought as much. Then I’ll take my leave. Safe travels, Chung Poong.”
“Take care, Baek!”
In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Yes, this will have to do.
As I turned to leave amid the warm atmosphere, that’s when it happened.
“Did you hear? The Tae-eul Mujeong Sword of the Zhongnan Sect is in Xi’an.”
“What? The Tae-eul Mujeong Sword? What could possibly bring him here?”
“How should I know? Someone said they saw him heading toward the Deng Wang Tower to the west. Apparently he’s meeting with the Yongbong Escort Agency, but I’m not certain.”
The murmuring voices gradually faded into the distance.
I turned to Chung Poong and asked.
“So-hyup.”
“Yes, benefactor.”
“Have you ever had tea?”
“Yes! I have!”
“No. You haven’t had tea yet.”
If I say so, then it’s so.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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